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As its preferred cloud provider and starting later this year, Google will help Ford leverage Google Cloud's AI, ML and data analytics technologies to accelerate the automaker's digital transformation, modernize operations, and power connected vehicle technologies with Google's trusted, secure, and reliable cloud. With Google Cloud, Ford plans to:
Further improve customer experiences for customers with differentiated technology and personalized services;
Accelerate modernization of product development, manufacturing and supply chain management, including exploration of using vision AI for manufacturing employee training and even more reliable plant equipment performance;
Fast track the implementation of data-driven business models resulting in customers receiving real-time notices such as maintenance requests or trade-in alerts.
Ford and Google have a shared vision to bring enjoyable, safer and more efficient connected vehicle experiences built to minimize driver distraction and keep customers at the forefront of technology with over-the-air updates. Beginning in 2023, Ford and Lincoln customers globally will start to benefit from unique digital experiences built on top of the Android operating system and with Google apps and services built-in, which include world-class map and voice technology:
With Google Assistant, drivers can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, by getting things done with just their voice.
With Google Maps as the vehicles' primary navigation, drivers can reach their destination faster with information on real-time traffic, automatic rerouting, lane guidance and more.
With Google Play, drivers will have access to their favorite apps for listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks and more. These apps are optimized and integrated for in-vehicle use.
Android in the car also enables Ford and third-party developers to build apps that provide a constantly improving and ever-more-personalized ownership experience.
"We are obsessed with creating must-have, distinctively Ford products and services," said Farley. "This integration will unleash our teams to innovate for Ford and Lincoln customers while seamlessly providing access to Google's world-class apps and services."
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, that is committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company's Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of connected, increasingly electrified passenger and commercial vehicles: Ford trucks, utility vehicles, vans and cars, and Lincoln luxury vehicles. The company is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, connected vehicle services and mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 184,000 people worldwide. More information about the company, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company is available at corporate.ford.com.
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 150 countries turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems.
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc


Of all the unexpected places Indy's ever-expanding food scene took us this year, we never figured on Main Street Fortville as the location for a rollicking comfort-food pub with a lighthearted yet sophisticated soul. But when a high-end steakhouse chef returns to his old stomping grounds and pairs up with his college buddy to renovate a decades-old storefront, the locals, long starved for a better dining alternative, will definitely come. And so they have, causing such long waits that the partners, Jake Burgess and Toby Shelton, now take Open Table reservations. Burgess applies local honey to sticky, crackling wings and channels his high-school cafeteria in a chili full of steak tips, served with a side of peanut butter. Somewhat more upscale fare comes in the form of hand-cut filets available in portions from six ounces up to the hulking 14-ounce "Eddie," named after one of the regulars.
TIP: Live music several nights a week features colorful local acts, and in the upstairs lounge, it's BYO vinyl for the record player.
DON'T MISS: Made-from-scratch pies baked by the owner's mother, including a gooey, decadent bourbon-pecan version topped with vanilla ice cream, of course.


JEE Mains is conducted by CBSE every year. About 13-16 lakhs aspirants appear every year in hopes of making it to one of the national and central top ranked institutes of India. JEE Mains is national access to most of the central and state colleges. Of course, most private institutes also consider the percentile and AIR you achieve in JEE Mains.
VITEEE exam, that is announced to happen in April 2019, is generally registered by about 3-4 lakh students every year. That's practically the largest amount of registrations a private institution encounters. The exam gives admission to various engineering and architectural courses in VIT institutes that are situated in Amravati, Bhopal, Vellore, and Chennai.
Another important point in our listicle of VITEEE vs JEE Mains is their paper pattern. JEE Mains has actually two papers- Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 is for aspirants of core engineering courses. This paper consists of 3 sections- Physics, Chemistry, and Maths. You need to score a certain percentile in each subject to go further in JEE Advanced. Paper 2 is for B. arch or for aspirants intending to pursue architectural courses. This exam has an additional Drawing subject in addition to mathematics and Aptitude test. In both papers, marks allocation to each subject is 40 per section. There is 4 marks for every correct answer a a negative marking of 1 mark per wrong answer. So there's 120 questions in each of these papers. Scores and cut-offs are displayed by JoSAA right after showing answer sheets to the JEE Mains exam.
VITEEE exam is a single test that consists of 125 questions. The exam lasts for two and a half hours with 1 mark for each correct answer and no negative marking for wrong answers. That is a relief, isn't it? Along with Physics, Chemistry and Maths, an additional subject that only VITEEE has is English. That's where people can recover marks. Also, the percentile is not subject based as opposed to JEE Mains. That means if you lack in one subject you have a scope of recovering in another.
JEE Mains happens twice a year and a student gets two attempts at cracking the exam. One in January and the other in April. Remember earlier how if you don't fair well in one exam you had to wait an entire year fora break. Well, now you get another chance within the same year. So that even if you don't fair well in your first exam, you still have the second attempt to go.
VITEEE exam happens once a year. It is an exam that lasts for two and a half hours.
Exam centres for JEE Mains are all over the country. There are about 258 centres as of 2019. When you choose a centre, you can also decide the language you want to write your exam in. This is when you are doing your registration for the exam. No calculators or electronic device is allowed inside the exam centre. The exam is in two modes- paper 1 is only in computer based test while paper 2's drawing section can only be done in pen and paper mode. Candidates must carry a valid ID proof along with the admit card to their exam centre.
Difficulty level of JEE Mains is any day much harder than VITEEE. The main difference is the level of complex thinking they require. While one can easily prepare for VITEEE exam from only NCERT books, JEE Mains require going above and beyond 12th textbooks. You must have easily heard of HC Verma, Irodov and such amazing books that are used in JEE Mains preparation.
JEE Mains offers admissions to a variety of courses across the country. The participating institutes that are all under JoSAA give admissions into 97 institutes (IITs, NITs, IIITs and other GFTIs) with a total of 36,208 seats available. Apart from this, there are several private institutes that give admissions to their various courses based on JEE Mains score and AIR.
VITEEE, as it is an institution level test only gives admission to Vellore Institute of technology across its centres located in Amravati, Chennai, Vellore and Bhopal. There are several B. Tech and B. arch courses that one can apply to through this exam.
VITEEE vs JEE mains: Since JEE Mains is the gateway to some of the most prestigious colleges of India, it is not only tougher than VITEEE, and it also gets the highest number of applications. Every year about 15 lakh students register for JEE Mains. Of course, not all of these make it to their final goals. In fact, less than a percent makes it to the IITs. That is why in the past few years we have a lot of new IITs opening up.
VITEEE – Since this is a university level exam, the number of applicants every year is obviously lesser than that of JEE Mains. Every year about 3 lakhs students appear for VITEEE exam.
With that, we wrap our clear bifurcation of points on the topic of VITEEE vs JEE Mains. We would like to add here that there is no right or wrong exam for you. There is but the exam that suits your path and abilities. Do not let anything external pressure you into taking any of these exams. The only voice you should hear is your own. All the very best!


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Home › Baseball › Iowa Native Stalzer To Begin Pro Career In Tucson
Iowa Native Stalzer To Begin Pro Career In Tucson
Growing up in small-town Iowa Jake Stalzer dreamed of someday playing professional baseball. After a four-year college career Stalzer is now beginning that dream – albeit in a different setting – signing with the Tucson Saguaros of the independent Pecos League.
A native of Albia, Iowa (population of 3,782), which lies about 70 miles southeast of Des Moines, Stalzer played three years of varsity baseball as a pitcher/first baseman before moving on to Indian Hills Community College. After two stellar seasons the 6'3″ lefty pitcher signed to play at NCAA Division I Elon College in North Carolina.
Two years at Elon College saw many ups-and-downs for Stalzer, who did not give up an earned run in his first three start of 2014. Posting a 7-11 record, 5.73 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 127.1 innings pitched, the 23-year old now begins his pro career in Arizona.
The 10-team Pecos League has been around for six years now and the Tucson Saguaros are a new team for the 2016 season. J.D. Droddy is the manager, who many know from the 2013 FOX Sports mini-series The Pecos League when he was with the Trinidad Triggers.
"Our manager is known for advancing players to higher indy leagues, and also affiliated teams," said Stalzer. "My goal is to advance to a higher level of ball, but I am extremely thankful for getting an opportunity to play for Tucson and am going to work hard, be a good teammate, represent Tucson, get the team and city some wins. When I do all of those things, good things will happen."
The regular season begins on May 19 when Tucson take on the Santa Fe Fuego. For more on the team go to www.saguarosbaseball.com and follow the team on Twitter @TucsonSaguaros.
‹ APBL Hands Out Year-End Awards
Tucson Saguaros Making Impressive Debut ›

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Domestic abuse is a crime that can take many forms. We use the Home Office definition of domestic abuse: "Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, controlling or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can encompass but is not limited to the following types of abuse: psychological, physical, sexual and emotional. The most common type of domestic abuse is carried out by men against women, but other types are also common and just as serious, and we want to encourage more people suffering abuse to come forward and get help. Abuse by children against parents is becoming more common, as is forced marriages, female genital mutilation (FGM) and modern day slavery. If you are affected by domestic abused, talk to us. We have staff on hand to help.


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Open Space Institute Enthusiastically Applauds Governor Hochul's State Budget and Her Commitment to Combatting Climate Change and Improving Access to State Parks and Public Land
Governor's budget meets the moment on climate change and creating an outdoor community for all New Yorkers.
Statement from Kim Elliman, President and CEO of the Open Space Institute: Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed state budget sets the stage for a momentous year by instituting long-term protections for the water, lands, and clean air that sustain all New Yorkers. Hers is a budgetary roadmap that addresses climate change as the environmental crisis of our times, acknowledges and responds to the public's need to connect with nature, and makes much-needed investments in land conservation for clean drinking water, flood protection, carbon absorption, and recreation.
The $4 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act, and its emphasis on land conservation and the protection of open space, is particularly welcome as New York State prioritizes water protection, the reduction of carbon in our atmosphere, addresses increasing threats of flooding in the wake of climate change, and the need to conserve habitat. This expansion represents a clear understanding of what's at stake for all of us in New York State as, together, we confront the realities of climate change and the water, air and land that sustains us all.
At the same time, the proposed Environmental Protection Fund increase to $400 million sets a new, higher standard for reliable environmental funding in New York State to meet the growing demand for parks and greenspace for people and wildlife, enable farmland protection, fight pollution, and provide for clean water.
In addition, OSI enthusiastically endorses Governor Hochul's proposed monumental commitment to making New York State parks and public lands more welcoming and available for all visitors. The governor's $200 million allocation for state parks infrastructure represents the single largest capital infusion for New York State Parks in history, and dramatically raises the bar for public access throughout the nation. The increased investment in the Department of Environmental Conservation will also go a long way to improving safe access to state lands.
And finally, by prioritizing the protection of New York's vulnerable wetlands, Governor Hochul is taking a wise and necessary step to maintain water quality, fight climate change, and mitigate the effects of severe storms and flooding. We look forward to working with the administration and the legislature to secure vital wetlands mapping changes this year.
As the 2022 legislative session gets underway, we look forward to working with Governor Hochul, her administration, and legislative leaders to enact a budget that moves New York State forward as a national leader in addressing the climate crisis, improving and creating access to nature and the outdoors, and ensuring that that water and air we need are protected for generations to come.
This News protects
This News involves


How can your letter writer last week say our PCSOs in Stevenage are useless? They are on the buses, walking about, out in the side streets, in the town centre. Did you challenge them to why they were in the cafe? Perhaps they were on their tea/lunch break. Did you ask why they had not stopped the cyclist?
I myself have seen them stop cyclists in the town centre and even asked them why only a verbal warning was given and not a ticket as I believed at that time they could give one. It was explained to me that as of yet the council have not provided them with the tickets to issue. Also would it not be unprofessional for them to shout after these cyclists, as we all know that they sometimes are not noticed until they have zoomed past us.
Leave our PCSOs alone. They do a fine job in the town centre and out on the estates. They have made this town a better place with their friendly faces, taking time to answer questions and are ready to offer advice and help when required.
Maybe you should be asking why our council hasn't given them the tools to do the job.


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A herd of elephants will fly from England to Kenya
July 7, 2021 Steven Addamah News 0
A herd of elephants is to leave a wildlife park in southern England to be flown to Kenya where they will be reintroduced into the wild, an operation presented on July 6, 2021 as "a world first" by the Aspinall Foundation, which is organizing it.
This conservation association, of which Carrie Johnson, the wife of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is communications director, plans to take thirteen elephants from Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, 7,000 kilometers away, to southern Kenya, where two sites are being studied, in 2022. The Aspinall Foundation hopes to airlift the herd, which weighs a total of 25 tons and whose youngest member, Nguvu, was born in March 2020. "After years of weighing the benefits and risks, we at the Aspinall Foundation have decided on this unprecedented project and true world first," wrote Carrie Symonds and the foundation's president, Damian Aspinall, in the columns of The Sun newspaper.
"This is the first time that a breeding herd of elephants has been reintroduced into the wild," they say, an operation that should allow the pachyderms to enjoy a longer life expectancy and better well-being, as life in captivity causes stress and depression in these animals. The association says it will work with anti-poaching teams to help ensure the long-term survival of the herd in Kenya.
"In time, their offspring will number in the hundreds – and then thousands – and become part of an unparalleled ecosystem that helps boost Kenya's tourism economy," the duo points out, hoping this is a "revolutionary step for this country and for the nature conservation movement." The Aspinall Foundation has already reintroduced captive-born animals to their natural habitats such as gorillas, black rhinos, ashy gibbons and European bison.
Carrie Symonds
Nguvu
Macron will give details on the future of Barkhane at the Friday G5 Sahel summit
Benin: Former mayor of Abomey-Calavi on trial for big land scandal


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Visibility, abortion, and violence
By Jessica Rodgers
Editor's note. This appeared in a slightly different form at "In Pursuit of Life."
Visibility. It has been, perhaps, the biggest game-changer in the battle on abortion. For the pro-life side, the increased visibility of the unborn child has challenged many presuppositions the abortion-rights movement was founded on.
No longer do any pro-abortion activists worth their salt refer to a "clump of cells" or "blob of tissue." Such language is laughable in today's world where "Baby's First Picture" in frames or gracing the refrigerators of proud parents and grandparents is a grayscale ultrasound image.
On the flipside, in this social media culture, there has been greater visibility for abortion activists. It's been only in the last few years that abortion-rights groups have even said the "A" word in public and more recently started to proudly wear their scarlet letter as a symbol of absolute "freedom of choice." The growing visibility of non-apologetic post-abortion women, and even those who perform abortions, is their attempt to change the nature of the debate.
If it seems desperate to proudly flaunt participation in the killing of a human life, that's because it is. Perhaps most interesting to observe has been the tightrope that activists attempt to walk– some more successfully than others–in appearing sympathetic to those who wish to consider themselves pro-choice but have reservations about violent abortions being celebrated, while still declaring loudly and proudly that there is nothing to be ashamed of in an abortion decision.
Of course, we all know that you can't have it both ways. Either abortion is a difficult decision rife with moral pitfalls (which people with no firm opinion probably believe), or it's not. Either it's something to be unabashedly celebrated (ala the "abortion on demand without apology" crowd) or it's something that, at a bare minimum, is fraught with ethical dilemmas.
That tightrope is most recently walked in a Guardian article, titled "Being an abortion doctor has taught me a lot about life." While the author (or editor) was undoubtedly pleased about the wordplay in the title, there is a sad reality behind those words.
If I'm honest, I haven't found it emotionally easy (and I suspect neither have those closest to me!) but I'd never go back and change that decision…
I have performed 21 abortions today, ending pregnancies in women ageing from 16 to 44, who have travelled from as far as Northern Ireland to regain control over their own bodies. I have carefully sieved through aspirate to identify the tiny translucent jelly-fish-like gestation sac at five weeks. I have painstakingly removed a foetus part by part at 23 weeks and watched the ultrasound image of the uterus shrink back to size. I have heard 21 stories of 21 difficult decisions, some agonising, others more straightforward, but not one of them taken lightly. One woman made it as far as the operating table and changed her mind. I wiped away another woman's silent tears as the anaesthetist counted her down from 10 as he put her under.
She is quick to affirm the choices of each of these women, and her own decision, and speaks blithely of performing a dismemberment abortion on a 23 week old baby.
A baby who, in another hospital, could potentially survive outside the womb. A baby who can feel pain. A baby who was killed, by her, and removed, by her, part by part.
But as she speaks of her compassion for these women–one of whom found herself so alone she took multiple buses to arrive and risked bleeding alone on the bus on the way back rather than tell anyone where she was going–she falls into the same pitfalls that many pro-abortion activists find themselves in: The belief that we have to pit mother against child. That compassion for one must mean apathy for the other.
Had that young woman gone to pro-life counselors, though, she would have found herself embraced with love and compassion for her and her child. She would have found options. She would have found hope. She most certainly would not have been left alone to bleed in anonymity on a bus.
To truly embrace women in need of help, you wouldn't suggest their only option was a violent procedure on their body ending in the death of another human being. Compassion and empathy (not to mention basic human decency) demand we find better options.
It shouldn't be surprising that the abortion movement has so loudly attempted to reclaim abortion as a good thing. After all, it's bad for business when people don't even like to say the name of your "product."
We can't lose sight of the fact that, at the end of the day, abortion is a multi-million dollar business. As abortion practitioners wipe away the tears of their clients, and reassemble the parts of dismembered babies, they can try to couch their actions in compassion – perhaps it even helps them sleep at night – but they can't mask the truth: They're repackaging violence as compassion and marketing a child's death as "learning about life."
In the end, there are no winners here: only victims. The unborn child who has been brutally killed, the mother who has been sold violence, even the practitioners themselves, who try to "rebrand" their assault upon vulnerable women as compassion.
The pro-life movement has a long history of embracing former abortion workers and post-abortive women, and I've never considered a pro-abortion activist to be a 'lost cause.' But my heart does grieve for them, and for the mental gymnastics they must employ in order to justify their advocacy for killing.
The anonymous writer in her piece for the Guardian concludes,
Abortion can improve life and prevent harm; pro-choice, to me, does not mean anti-life.
Tragically, not even the visibility of the baby–the very one she has removed piece by piece—can make her consider the violence she has committed on that child.
Editor's note. Jessica Rodgers is a life-long pro-life activist, writer, and speaker.
Tags icon abortion
Pro-Life convert Dr. Bernard Nathanson on changes in medicine and the unborn child
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The 2019-2020 academic year will be a year of transition for our campus as our buildings undergo construction and remodeling towards our Campus of the Future. Given this, our goal is to maximize the use of our available units and to help foster community for our new students.
During the campus transition process, all rents will remain the same cost as the 2018-19 academic year. All leases will run through May 31, 2020, unless a shorter term is requested and approved.
Rent is billed by semester. Up to 20 beds available (10 female beds, 10 male beds).
Houses and Duplexes are available only to Luther Seminary students, their spouses, and dependents; all students must sign the lease. Pets are not allowed.
Click here to view pictures.
Click here to view pictures of 1535 Fulham. Duplexes are similar in layout.
Below you will find links to some resources when seeking off-campus housing. These listings are not evaluated by the seminary. Arrangements for off-campus housing are to be made directly by the student.


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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed a number of practical ways to observe the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets to inform navigation, calendars, predict weather, and inform Law and social structure. This knowledge contains a significant scientific component, which is encoded in oral traditions and material culture.
This talk will explore the many ways in which Indigenous Australians encode scientific information in their traditions and some of the ways in which they pass this knowledge to successive generations.


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Should Elon Musk Try To Solve the Problem of World Hunger with $6 Billion five Questions Answered
Subject: Business Topic: Article
Elon Musk suggested, maybe jokingly, on Oct. 31, 2021, that he could be prepared to contribute US$6 billion of his riches to famine relief. However, there was a catch: the UN would have to demonstrate that it could end world hunger "right now." His remarks were in response to a plea from David Beasley, head of the United Nations World Food Program, to "step up now, on a one-time basis" to help end world hunger.
"$6 billion to assist 42 million people who are on the verge of starvation if we do not reach them." "It's not complicated," Beasley said in a CNN interview in October 2021, a year after urging millionaires to contribute $5 billion. Jessica Eise, a social scientist who produced the book "How to Feed the World," provides some perspective for this fight.
1. What about this interaction impresses you
Musk, the world's wealthiest man as of late 2021, is a visionary business person. The United Nations is the greatest international organization in the world, and the World Food Program awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. Naturally, there will be some friction between them because they think and act in quite different ways. Musk's philosophy based on invention and independence whereas the United Nations based on diplomacy and pluralism, Musk owes his stockholders a debt of gratitude. The United Nations must pay attention to and respect its 193 member states. This commitment has the potential to suffocate its various agencies in bureaucracy.
The fight between Musk and Beasley, a former South Carolina governor Trump nominated for the UN post, exemplifies the collision between these two worlds. Their public discussion may appear insignificant, yet it underlines humanity's most pressing and difficult task: ending world hunger. As of 2020, about 10% of the world's population was undernourished, a rise of 118 million people from 2019. To assist everyone on Earth to obtain enough to eat, the world, in my opinion, needs a mix of what both Musk and the United Nations have to offer.
2. Why is it so difficult to eradicate world hunger?
There is sufficient food on the planet to feed everyone. Millions of people are going hungry due to climate-related disasters such as extreme heat, droughts, floods, and storms, rather than a global inability to grow enough food.
This could change as climate-related disasters such as extreme heat, droughts, floods, and storms reduce agricultural productivity. If civilization does not respond soon enough, the effects of climate change will worsen.
Hunger is a result of violence, a lack of infrastructure, inequality, and poverty in today's world. For example, approximately 5 million people in Yemen are on the verge of starvation because of years of fighting. In addition, as the Syrian conflict enters its tenth year, 12.4 million people — more than 60% of the population – are facing food insecurity.
Musk is being reasonable in pressing the World Food Programme to present a strategy in exchange for his $6 billion gift, in my opinion. For decades, the United Nations organization, which formed in 1961, has worked to alleviate world hunger. It raised an all-time high of $8.4 billion in 2020, largely from nations that voluntarily contribute, as well as gifts from individuals. Despite this, world hunger, which is notoriously difficult to eradicate, continues to exist. Around 40% of the world's population is unable to afford a nutritious diet.
3. Should the world community entrust the solution to these massive challenges to the ultra-wealthy?
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that it will require an extra $6.6 billion in addition to its yearly budget to end world hunger today. In principle, the world's wealthiest people could easily afford to repeat this achievement year after year. In 2020, the wealthiest 1% of Americans had a total net worth of $34.2 trillion. Even if the wealthy contributed, hunger is a problem that requires more than money to overcome. Governments build infrastructure, expanding equality typically necessitates huge social movements, and policy reform and conflict reduction necessitate intergovernmental diplomacy.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation perhaps established the finest model for this type of significant contribution. It has a $50 billion endowment and has provided more than $3 billion to worldwide malaria, HIV/AIDS, and TB eradication initiatives during the last two decades.
Despite certain triumphs in the activities it finances, such as the new malaria vaccine, winning these fights remains difficult — malaria kills over 400,000 people every year.
In 2020, all Americans, wealthy and poor, contributed $471 billion to organizations of all types, with many more goals beyond alleviating world hunger. However, not everyone is concerned enough about the plight of the world's poorest people to invest their money in alleviating it.
4. What would be an effective strategy for the World Food Program to follow up?
Musk has a habit of behaving strangely on Twitter. It is conceivable he did not make a genuine offer. However, considering that Jeff Bezos utilized Twitter to announce his intention to increase his charity donations in 2017, it is worth paying attention. The Tesla CEO and WFP director, Beasley, can put their egos aside and view this as an opportunity to collaborate. The United Nations can provide Musk with an open-source accounting plan, as he asked on Twitter. If it succeeds, the public may hold Musk accountable for the social media vow he made. The World Food Programme already publishes some of its accounting findings, so it would not be starting from zero.
5. What would Elon Musk be able to accomplish about world hunger if he made it his mission?
Musk took the Giving Pledge in 2012, pledging to give away at least half of his fortune over his lifetime. Musk has given away very little of his riches to charity since expressing aspirations to become a large philanthropist, and he has not revealed much about his philanthropic plans. In 2021, however, his donations have been steadily increasing.
His foundation's bare-bones website said that it was interested in sponsoring space exploration research and advocacy, pediatric research, science and engineering education, and the "creation of safe artificial intelligence to benefit mankind" as of November 2021. There were no grantees or contact details on the website. If Musk wants a challenge, I feel that overcoming hunger is significantly more difficult than getting into space. I would encourage him to utilize his wealth, influence, and ingenuity to address the world's most pressing issue. Because alleviating hunger would necessitate resolving wars, eliminating poverty, constructing much-needed infrastructure, and lowering the rate of climate change, all of which would be revolutionary.
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Fill your home with a lovely decor and useful stuff. As a deer lover like be fascinated to have this eye-catching highly decorated ornament for your home!
Have this creative and unique deer design shelf, easy to assemble and place and arrange your books, magazines, and other things in one place. A 3D stunning deer mini shelf perfectly suitable for any country or contemporary homes.
Perfect gift for anyone who collects deer antlers ornaments!


Valentine's Day might be just over two weeks away, but if you want to get personal this year you are going to have to plan your gift in advance to make sure it's delivered in time.
We've searched the web for the very best personalised Valentine's Day gifts so you can say "I love you" in style- here are 10 of our favourites.
What will you be buying for that special someone on February 14th?


text:
IndustryARC
Increasing concerns regarding safety of miners to drive the growth of solenoid valves
Published By: IndustryARC Published On : 07-Sep-2015
In the past there have been many catastrophic disasters in critical industries such as Mining, Oil & Gas, Nuclear power industry, and so on.
Here is some example for the industrial accidents recorded in recent times.
Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Soma mine disaster in Turkey
Pike River Mine disaster in New Zealand
Such accidents occurring in various industries have raised the question on the reliability and safety of a plant.
Mining industry is one of the most vulnerable industries to such disasters owing to criticality of the work environment. Mine workers, especially underground mine workers are in constant risk of being exposed to explosion, fire, leakage of harmful gases, toxic atmospheric contamination and dust.
The major reasons for fatalities in surface as well as underground are reported to be collapse of mine, power haulage, machinery, explosions, electrification and so on. All these factors account to more than 85% of overall disaster incidents in mines.
Solenoid valves can be used as a safety measure so as to mitigate the effect of a potential disaster. For instance, a sensor along with an solenoid valve can be installed so that in case of an emergency the activation of the valve can send a mass notification to the employees to vacate the mine, solenoid valves can be used to monitor temperature and atmospheric conditions so that in situations such as explosion within a mine, automatic supply of water to put of fire can be controlled with the help of these valves. They can also monitor leakage of harmful gases or contamination of atmosphere caused by operations such as excavation of ground and can indicate halt of the process. These illustrations are only a few applications of solenoid valves as safety component. Solenoid valves in combination with other reliable components and processes such as electric power supplier, ventilator and so on can monitor the overall environment of the mine. Owing to the reliability and robustness of solenoid valves, companies all over the world are deploying solenoid valves as a measure of safety.
Control Valves Market Analysis: By Valve Body (Linear Motion Valve and Rotary Valve); By Valve End Connection (Screwed Pipe Threads); By Leakage (Seat Leakage and Valve Leakage); By End User Application (Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Fertilizer and Others) - Forecast (2015 – 2021) https://www.industryarc.com/Report/6347/Digital-Power-Electronics-Market-Research-Report.html
Valves, Actuators and Positioners Market: By Application (Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics & Others); By Valve type (Control, Isolation & others); By Actuator type (Hydraulic, Pneumatic, Electric & others); By Positioner type (Pneumatic and Electro pneumatic) - Forecast (2015 - 2020) https://www.industryarc.com/Report/1298/valves-actuators-positioners-market-analysis-report.html


Charity cupcakes for Easter made by the guys is splendid! Oh, thank you for remembering the edible Easter cards for the pooches. For this, my Tidbit sends you cyber dog smooches!
Tidbit smooches accepted and treasured! Thank you! Give that puppy a special pat for me please.
What great fun stuff for Easter! You have so entralled to try my hand at making and decorating bunny and lamb cakes. Who knows what they will look like in the end. Could be the Easter Monster will be created!
Love the kitchen memories of your son & friend making Easter treats for a charity bake sale. And your featured lenses are great. I remember Ruthi's well and enjoyed the others today.
What a delight to have a son who chose to get creative in the kitchen. Those truly were moments to treasure. I'm feeling inspired to create something with my favorite mini robin's egg candies. Thanks for providing links to get me started. Appreciated!
Oh, those are so cute. My grandchildren would be delighted to eat all of them. Happy Easter, Cynthia.


text:
Q: The method 'data' was called on null I made this function to get document(post)'s userId but docu always becomes null.
Is there any ideas to solve this problem?
(I use flutter and cloud firestore)
Future<String> getUserId(String text) async{
var docu;
await FirebaseFirestore.instance
    .collection('post')
    .where('content', isEqualTo: '$text')
    .snapshots()
    .listen((snapshot){
   snapshot.docs.forEach((document) {
    docu = document;
    print('docUserId : ${document.data()['userId']}'); // this works well
  });
});
return docu.data()['userId']; }

Also I tried return only document userId with String like this
Future<String> getUserId(String text) async{
String docUserId;
await FirebaseFirestore.instance
    .collection('post')
    .where('content', isEqualTo: '$text')
    .snapshots()
    .listen((snapshot){
   snapshot.docs.forEach((document) {
    docUserId = document.data()['userId'];
    print('docUserId : ${docUserId}'); // this works well
  });
});
return docUserId; }

Although print('docUserId : ${docUserId}'); this command works well, the final return value is always null.
I can't find the reason.

A: document.data()
change this to
docu = document;
print('docUserId : ${docu['userId']}');

A: You need to take care of 3 importand points here:

*

*You don't need to have a realtime listener if you just want to get the data once

*You can't await a listener. Your function will always end before you get the data.

*Check if a document exists before you use it

Could you pls try it with this code:
import 'package:cloud_firestore/cloud_firestore.dart';

Future<String> getUserId(String text) async {
  String userUid = '';
  QuerySnapshot docSnap = await FirebaseFirestore.instance
      .collection('post')
      .where('content', isEqualTo: '$text')
      .get();

  docSnap.docs.forEach((DocumentSnapshot document) {
    if (document.exists) {
      userUid = document.data()['userId'];
      print('docUserId : ${document.data()['userId']}');
    }
  });

  return userUid;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Oral history interview with Henry Geldzahler, 1970 Jan. 27
Geldzahler, Henry, 1935-1994
Size: Sound recording: 2 Sound tape reels, 7 in.; 76 Pages, Transcript
Summary: An interview of Henry Geldzahler conducted 1970 Jan. 27, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Geldzahler speaks of his youth and family background; his early interests; his education at Yale and Harvard; the decision to pursue an art career; working with the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Robert Beverly Hale; working with James Rorimer; his first exhibit; artists and curators he has been associated with; working with Roger Stevens at the National Endowment for the Arts; public interest in museums; working with Thomas Hoving; his opinion of critics; and how he selects works for exhibitions. He recalls Richard Bellamy, Harry Lowe, Lois Bingham, Robert Scull, Leo Castelli, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, and Rene D'Harnoncourt.
Henry Geldzahler (1935-1994) was a curator in New York, N.Y.
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 3197 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Henry Geldzahler, 1970 Jan. 27. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Bellamy, Richard
Bingham, Lois A.
Castelli, Leo
D'Harnoncourt, Rene
Hale, Robert Beverly
Hoving, Thomas
Lowe, Harry
Rorimer, James J. (James Joseph)
Scull, Robert C.
Stella, Frank
Stevens, Roger L.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
National Endowment for the Arts
Curators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews


The species has a wide range in the Palearctic ecozone - Europe, Morocco, Iran, Siberia, Central Asia, China, Korea and Japan. In Armenia the subspecies A. a. ottomana (Röber, 1896) is presented, which inhabits mountain meadows and humid steppes from 1800 to 2400 m a.s.l. The host plants of the species are Viola canina and Viola montana. The Dark Green Fritillary gives one generation per year, the butterflies are on wing from late June until late August.
The species is slightly uncommon within its typical habitat, and demonstrates stable population trend from 2003-2013 (p>0.05), however the abundance of the species is significantly lower in the areas of degraded meadows. Thus the species could potentially suffer from overgrazing and uncontrolled mowing, and its population trend could supposedly show some decline if involves longer period.
The species is not included in the Global and Armenian Red Lists, as well as in CITES and Bern Conventions, although it was evaluated for European Red Book as Least Concern. Preliminary assessment of its national conservation status suggests it as Least Concern too, however with a reservation of continuation of monitoring, aimed at early identification of population changes, and development of conservation measures in accordance. At current the species' range is covered by many of Protected Areas and Emerald Sites, it is presented in the Prime Butterfly Areas Gnisheek, and Artanish-Shorzha. Populations of Southern Zangezur Mountains and southern macro-slope of Meghri Mountains require additional study as there is a hypothesis that those belong to vicariant species Argynnis alexandra.


Sales training aims to improve the salespersons effectiveness when dealing with a potential customer by improving their product knowledge, communication and presentation skills. Generally the better trained an individual is, the better they should be able to perform in the field.
Call reluctance and prospecting – Many people take it personally when a potential customer says 'no'. Over 50% of sales people give up at first contact if they get a 'no' from the prospect, never to go back to that prospect again.
Communication – A good sales proposal demonstrates real value; a quote just offers a price. A winning sales proposal involves communicating the benefits to the customer.
Listening – This requires patience and a willingness to pay attention and understand another person, even when we don't agree with them.
Closing the sale – When the buyer gives the sales-person a clear buying signal like: 'Where do I sign?' – close the sale. Upwards of 70% of sales opportunities are lost because salespeople forget to shut up!
Sales skills – Good negotiation skills are essential as the sales process often requires compromise before agreement can be reached.
Everyone in the company should have sales training as all company employees need to understand the sales process and be effective sales people.


As we head into the season to submit tax returns for the tax year ended 5 April 2018, it's a good time to think about saving tax in the current tax year.
Careful planning is essential when it comes to disposing of capital assets such as a second home, jewellery, shares, a business or antiques and works of art. An individual can make capital gains up to the annual exemption limit without paying capital gains tax, and each spouse/civil partner will have their own limit. For 2018/19, this limit is £11,700. It can't be carried forward to a future tax year, and can't be transferred to anyone else, including a spouse or civil partner. Thus it can sometimes be advantageous to transfer assets between spouses or civil partners to ensure that each individual's annual exemption is used.
The annual allowance, which sets a cap on the amount you can contribute to a pension and still get tax relief, is £40,000 in 2018/19. Contributions in excess of this are potentially charged to tax on an individual as the top slice of income. There are, however, restrictions on the annual allowance available for those with adjusted annual income over £150,000, so that it can potentially be reduced to a minimum of £10,000.
However, unused annual allowance can often be carried forward for up to three years. This means unused allowances for the three years prior to the current tax year can be used this year. The remaining allowance for 2015/16 would therefore need to be used by 5 April 2019, but can only be utilised after using the annual allowance for the current year.
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) can make a tax-efficient investment, since income from ISA investments is exempt from income tax, and capital gains made on investments held in an ISA are exempt from capital gains tax. The maximum you can save in ISAs for 2018/19 is £20,000. This can be split between different ISAs, though funds may be invested in only one of each type per tax year. An ISA allowance can't be carried into the next tax year, so it's worth planning now to take advantage of it.
There are now quite a range of ISAs on offer. They include the Innovative Finance ISA, designed for peer to peer lending - essentially lending that cuts out a bank. These usually offer higher returns because of the higher risk. An ISA portfolio could include a small subscription in a higher risk ISA like this.
Adults under the age of 40 might want to consider the Lifetime ISA. Here up to £4,000 per annum can be invested. This counts towards the overall annual ISA limit, but the advantage is that the government will put in a 25% top up, up to a maximum of £1,000 per annum. The Lifetime ISA is designed to fund the purchase of a property for a first-time buyer to live in (not as a buy-to-let), or to save for later life. Where two first-time buyers are buying a home together, each buyer – if eligible – can take advantage of the Lifetime ISA bonus. There are various conditions, including a charge for early withdrawals.
If you are considering a capital disposal this tax year, or considering investment or pension choices, we would be delighted to help you structure your affairs tax efficiently.


Q127: Can I use planyo for reservations of different kind of resources than the ones suggested on the home page?
Q148: How can I pay for my Planyo PRO subscription?
Q149: What's your refund policy?
Q151: How can I cancel my Planyo account?
Q152: Do you have an affiliate program?
Q161: Is the data entered into Planyo by our users secure?
Q162: What kind of technical support do you offer?
Q178: How and when are the commissions in PRO-COMM account type calculated?
Q216: What are your terms of service?
Q230: When reservations are made I only receive inquiries but the reservations don't show up in planyo.
Q291: How long do you keep the data in your database?
Q310: How can I see which personal information is kept on file and request its removal?
Q118: How do I know when a new reservation is made?
Q123: How can I modify the messages sent to my customers?
Q132: How can I or my customers receive sms notifications?
Q171: How to switch off email address verification?
Q188: How can I change the emails so that they look like they come from my domain?
Q211: Can Planyo send emails to my clients before the start date or marketing emails after the end date?
Q222: Is there a possibility to have planyo notify my server programatically when an event occurs?
Q238: Can I send a mailing to all my existing customers?
Q272: Can I receive an email notification whenever a non-completed (unfinished) reservation was entered into the system?
Q284: Why didn't Planyo send an email notification?
Q133: How can I use planyo to print out invoices?
Q137: How to set up a custom pricing scheme?
Q138: My pricing is complex. Will planyo work with discounts or seasonal pricing?
Q139: Can I specify different settings for high and low seasons?
Q181: How does Pricing Manager work?
Q183: I'm not using optional or obligatory payment approval modes but I'd still like to let my clients pay online if they wish.
Q190: How can I use vouchers / promotion codes with Planyo?
Q191: How do I use advanced conditions in Pricing Manager?
Q193: Why is the sales tax (VAT) not added to the price quoted to the clients?
Q196: Can I set-up different last minute pricing?
Q198: I'd like to keep clients' credit card numbers on file instead of taking an online payment. Is this possible?
Q203: How do I setup my WorldPay Business account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q212: How do I setup my Authorize.net account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q217: How do I setup my Sage Pay account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q218: How do I setup my MultiSafepay account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q226: How do I setup my MasterCard MiGS account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q227: How do I setup my EBS account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q231: How can I use a payment gateway which is not supported by Planyo?
Q234: How can I change the currency of my planyo site or of a single resource?
Q236: Why does Planyo ask me to make a payment if I haven't yet had actual reservations?
Q240: How to use an external CSV file for pricing?
Q242: How do I setup my b2bill account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q244: How to use coupons / gift certificates with Planyo?
Q245: What's the difference between coupons and vouchers?
Q246: Do you offer a white-label version of the planyo reservation system?
Q247: Do you work with resellers?
Q249: How do I setup my Montrada account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q251: How much will I pay for Planyo?
Q254: How do I setup my LCL Sherlock's account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q258: I entered our payment gateway (PayPal) account in the settings but planyo doesn't ask for the payment. Why does this happen?
Q264: How can I accept Bitcoin payments (BTC)?
Q266: How to setup my Ogone / Ingenico account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q270: How can I send price quotations to my customers?
Q271: How do I setup my Wirecard QPAY account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q273: Is it possible to give my customers a possibility to make multiple partial payments (instalments) for their reservation?
Q276: How can I configure pricing for adults and children (also for different age groups)?
Q278: How do I setup my Sogenactif / Paylib account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q292: Planyo shows gross prices. Can I work with net prices, without tax?
Q293: How to setup my ConCardis account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q295: Will Planyo work with membership points instead of payments in a real currency?
Q297: How to setup my Datatrans account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q299: How do I setup my DOKU account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q301: How to setup my Piraeus Bank - ePos PayCenter account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q302: How to setup my PostFinance account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q303: How do I setup my WorldPay Online account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q304: Can each resource and product have a different sales tax (VAT) rate?
Q305: How do I setup my Stripe account to accept payments for the reservations through SOFORT?
Q312: How do I setup my Helcim account to accept payments for the reservations?
Q314: How do I setup my Stripe account to accept payments?
Q315: How do I setup my Stripe account to accept card payments with 3D verification?
Q119: What are resource vacations and how can I use them?
Q168: How do I mark a period as unavailable to prevent any bookings for this time?
Q177: What is the custom unavailability script?
Q185: Can I allow my clients to arrive / leave only on specific week days?
Q186: Can I change the minimum or maximum rental duration based on the season?
Q195: How can I determine when a resource is available?
Q100: How can I create my own planyo site?
Q117: I don't yet have a website. Can I still use planyo?
Q124: How can I add images to my listings?
Q134: What are additional products?
Q135: What is resource sharing?
Q136: How to set up a planyo site for many resources of the same kind?
Q142: I need each reservation to contain additional information (answers to specific questions). How can this be done?
Q145: Can I modify the way the availability search results are displayed?
Q147: Can I add a rental agreement (contract) with terms and conditions of a rental?
Q154: How can I add searchable properties (categories) to resources (e.g. number of beds or whether animals are allowed)?
Q174: What's the difference between additional products and additional fields defined in 'reservation form layout'?
Q176: How does integration with Google Calendar and Google Docs work?
Q202: What are special fields in the reservation form?
Q208: I want to add a new resource / planyo site. Do I have to set it up all over again?
Q209: Will planyo let clients reserve two kinds of resources at the same time (e.g. room and staff member)?
Q228: How to change the time / date fields in the reservation form?
Q233: Can reservation form items be updated automatically based on other items?
Q239: What is blocking in packages?
Q248: Can my customers choose the unit / seat visually (like in airplane or movie theater seat assignment)?
Q256: How to use tags to customize email messages and templates?
Q259: I want Planyo to manage bookings for many independent owners. Should I create a meta site?
Q262: What is the difference between packages and bundles?
Q274: How can I synchronize availability of different resources (from the same of different Planyo sites)?
Q275: Is it possible to offer services of multiple employees with the end customer reserving a service and not a specific person?
Q281: I have resources in a number of geographic locations. Can my customers do a geolocation search with planyo?
Q283: Can events/trips with too few participants be automatically cancelled?
Q296: I have an e-learning site. How will Planyo work with customers in different time-zones?
Q309: Can planyo register the check-in and check-out time (if the rental actually took place)?
Q114: Do my customers need to create accounts with planyo to make a booking?
Q122: What is the difference between a moderator, site admin and resource admin?
Q125: How can I be sure the bookings are authentic?
Q129: How can I modify or cancel existing reservations?
Q130: How can I quickly move reservations to a different time or a different resource?
Q131: How can I quickly find an existing reservation?
Q144: How does Planyo handle trusted customers / members?
Q153: How can I enter recurring reservations (e.g. every Friday between 9am and 10am) into planyo?
Q163: Can I export my bookings into Google calendar, Microsoft Outlook or Apple iCalendar?
Q169: What is reservation status / what is the process the reservations go through?
Q170: How can I enter a booking in the name of a client?
Q180: Can I decide which administrative functions my resource administrators or moderators can access?
Q182: Can I make a resource temporarily invisible (unpublished) to my clients without deleting it?
Q210: Will planyo work with mobile devices and do you have apps for Android and iPhone?
Q215: How can I collect client-specific information such as member ID or their birthdate?
Q223: What's the meaning of colors assigned to reservations?
Q224: Does planyo work with agents and can it calculate their commissions?
Q225: How can I delete a resource?
Q243: How can I take reservations for classes or other long-term rentals?
Q257: How can I integrate Planyo with my booking.com extranet?
Q260: How can I allow my customers to leave reviews?
Q263: How can I synchronize my calendar with channels such as AirBnB and others?
Q269: Why don't I receive push notifications on my mobile phone when using the Planyo app?
Q285: How can I import reservations using a CSV file?
Q286: Can I use 2-factor authentication for increased security?
Q290: What are corective invoices and how to use them?
Q294: How can I integrate Planyo with my Expedia Partner Central?
Q298: I need to create a highly customized report not supported by Planyo. What are my options?
Q306: Can I prevent resource admins from seeing the customer's personal details?
Q316: How can I use QR codes to speed up our processes?
Q116: How can I integrate planyo with my existing website?
Q150: Do you have an API we can use to automate our tasks?
Q158: How can I get links in search results to point to an existing page on my site with detailed info about a resource?
Q159: I'm trying to use the advanced integration and the planyo page always redirects me to planyo.com.
Q166: How can I change the look & feel of the Planyo module on my website?
Q167: How do I fill out the Planyo plugin's parameters?
Q172: How can I display only selected resources in calendar preview?
Q173: I need to have more control over the calendar preview.
Q189: I'd like to display the price in the reservation form in a different area.
Q192: Can I use SSL with Planyo?
Q194: Can I filter out resources displayed in the resource list page or change their ordering?
Q199: Can I let my clients reserve multiple resources in a single reservation?
Q200: I'd like to show location of all of my apartments on a map. Is this possible?
Q201: How can I track my reservations in Google Analytics?
Q204: Which tags can I use to represent data specific to reservations?
Q205: Which tags can I use to represent data specific to my resources?
Q206: Which tags can I use to represent data specific to my planyo site?
Q207: How can I have Planyo print texts in templates conditionally?
Q214: Can Planyo integrate with the login system used on my website?
Q219: How can I remove the planyo logo and name?
Q221: Which tags can I use universally, wherever tags are allowed?
Q237: Can I change the styles of the calendar previews?
Q250: Can my customers modify or cancel their own reservation?
Q265: How can I integrate planyo with my website created with Wix?
Q267: How can I add tracking code/pixel (or other third party widgets) to my booking process?
Q279: Will planyo work with responsive (mobile-first) sites using Bootstrap or another framework?
Q280: My planyo site was created before April 2015. How can I upgrade to new schemes and what are these schemes?
Q282: How can I update my CSS to the latest version used by my scheme?
Q288: Will Planyo work together with my other apps?
Q307: How can I prefill the reservation form fields?
Q155: When will Planyo be available in my language?
Q156: Some words, such as resource, displayed to my users don't properly describe my business model. Can I change them?
Q157: How can I translate the texts I entered to describe my resources (description, properties) into other languages?
Q164: How can I allow users to change the language of the reservation form when using advanced integration?
Q287: Which languages are supported in Planyo?
Q126: I have a question not answered in this FAQ.
Q187: I would like my clients to be able to reserve comfortably using mobile devices.
Q229: What can I enter into the clever search?
Q252: I found a bug in Planyo.
Q253: How can I test new configurations or add test reservations when my site is already in production?
Q289: How can I import users using a CSV file?
Q311: Can we use Planyo and be GDPR compliant?


The experienced HR consultants available through this HR telephone support service can provide you with advice on issues you are currently facing. They can also give guidance on the correct documents to use in certain situations and how to legally complete them. This is a separate service to Docs Wizard membership (template documents).


"Not Gonna Bring Me Down"
A few years ago, Cristi was hired by APM/ Resonate music to write an album of pop songs to be pitched for TV & film spots. One of those songs was "Not Gonna Bring Me Down", which was written by Cristi Vaughan, Matt Naylor, Steven Stern, and Scott Stalone, and features vocals from Krystal Buckley. Krystal spoke highly of the recording experience.
Be sure to listen for the song "Not Gonna Bring Me Down" in Gone Girl. which is in theaters now! You can also click here to purchase the song on iTunes. Be sure to keep up with Krystal on Instagram (@krystalbuckley4) and Twitter (@krystalbuckley)!


Stephen F. Austin State University students raised more than $33,000 during the annual Dance Marathon. All proceeds will support pediatric programs at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health Systems in Tyler, the only designated Children's Miracle Network hospital in Northeast Texas. Pictured, from left, are Avery Hager, Katy psychology and biology major; Rachel Ballback, The Woodlands health science major; Camarin Guillory, The Woodlands mass communication major; Alicia Ybarra, Fort Worth psychology major; Carly Nichols, Belton psychology major; Ireland Bramhall, Ennis hospitality administration major; Melanie Burnell, Wylie business major; Emmanuella Adegbola, Ogun State, Nigeria, biochemistry major; Lillie Zech, Jacksonville, Alabama, chemistry major; Aaron Baker, Vidor mathematics and computer science major; and Colby Norton, Atascocita rehabilitation services for the deaf and hard of hearing major.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - It began as a lofty goal: raise $23,000 for the Children's Miracle Network. Many told them this couldn't be done. Many suggested lowering their goal to a more feasible number. But after a year of fundraising, Stephen F. Austin State University students raised more than $33,000 through the annual Dance Marathon - surpassing their initial goal by more than $10,000.
"Our students seriously considered lowering the goal this year, but they decided The SFA Way, an honor code grounded by five principles for personal excellence, compelled them to strive for excellence in everything they did and kept the goal," said Dr. Adam Peck, dean of student affairs. "The fact that our students surpassed their goal shows them the value of their hard work and passion. I truly believe this experience will be something they remember for the rest of their lives."
Dance Marathon is a national movement encouraging students to engage in peer-to-peer fundraising with proceeds benefiting Children's Miracle Network hospitals. SFA's proceeds will go to Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health Systems in Tyler, the only designated Children's Miracle Network hospital in Northeast Texas, and will support its pediatric programs, including the neonatal intensive care unit and special needs clinic.
More than 670 students participated in fundraising, which included selling concessions at basketball games, partnering with local businesses for profit sharing, hosting events on campus and encouraging a fundraising competition among SFA's Greek organizations.
Each person who registered as a dancer had an online fundraising page. Molly Moody, assistant director of leadership and service who helped oversee the Dance Marathon, said 70 percent of the funds raised came from peer-to-peer fundraising.
"The primary goal of the Dance Marathon is to raise awareness and then to celebrate, in unity, our success and impact as Lumberjacks," Moody said.
At the end of the campaign, SFA held a celebration on campus to reveal the final total and celebrate with the Nacogdoches and university communities with games, food and dancing.
"I have been watching the number rise all year, and the last the students knew before the final reveal was that they had raised a little more than $17,000," Moody said. "Watching them learn they completely superseded their goal was a magical moment."
More than 300 students danced at this event with many dancing for lost loved ones or to make a difference in the world.
"I didn't know why I danced really until the day of the event. It was one of the most fulfilling days of my life," said Carly Nichols, psychology major from Belton, Texas. "Being able to raise this much money for so many kids is amazing."
Camarin Guillory, mass communication major from The Woodlands, said dancing inspired her and it was a "a privilege to dance for such a great cause."
Three years ago, SFA held its first Dance Marathon and raised about $8,300. The second year students raised around $7,400.
For more information about SFA leadership programs, visit sfasu.edu/studentaffairs.


If i do the same with a VM running under Hypervisor of Windows 10 and Visual Studio 2015 Community, it works without an issue ?
Do you notice any errors getting logged in Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) under Windows Logs -> Application, from the Source "Windows Error Reporting" which corresponds to this above issue? If so, can you paste the details here? Especially if you notice the "Fault Bucket" having a number associated with it?


well I for one hope this is just a vicious rumor, I've been considering going to victory for some time now......would be a real ***** if they closed the doors.
If they don't improve their product line who knows? I have a Polaris snowmobile I use infrequently. After 3 years and only 260 miles on it the main suspension spring broke. I'll never buy another Polaris anything. Isn't worth the risk.
Has anyone actually seen one of the new Cross Roads or the Cross Country? The local dealer hasn't got any in and couldn't tell me when he would. The dealer here is moving lots of bikes though. I've seen a lot of Vics on the road around here, even a Vision or two.
Yes I saw them at the Washington show in Jan. My Buddy just ordered a Cross Country. Supposed to be in this past weekend.,hopefully make it this weekend..when he gets it Ill try to wrangle a ride and let you know how it feels. Although I cant say I'm seeing "lots " of VICs around here,there's definitely more and more. Everybody I've talked to who has one loves it....if they can make it through this tuff economy (if it ever gets better) I think they will make it. They have a good product and are developing a loyal base. There major problem may be the lack of a relatively cheap "entry " bike comparable to the HD sporty line.
There were a LOT of Victorys (Victories??) at Daytona. Big wads of them...traveling in packs...like hyenas. I suspect they've got some sort of bizzare ritual they perform before each ride. The Road Captain dresses up like the mythological god Polaris, and leads the pack in a group urination upon a giant styrofoam Harley Bar and Shield logo.
Check with Dave. He's the guy with the Harley named "Daisy."
Polaris is the world's largest manufacturer of snowmobiles. There are no indications that the company as a whole is in trouble. Whether or not the Victory line of overpriced cruisers and personal spacecraft will survive is another story. Polaris did close their unprofitable line of watercraft a few years back. Since it's an American company it has the usual American problem of producing some pretty inferior stuff, though apparently Victory has avoided the quality issues that plague the rest of the company. Their ATVs are the worst you can buy and the snowmobiles, while improved recently, aren't as good as, say, Yammerhammers.
I have owned several Polaris snowmobiles and I have not had any trouble with them at all. I believe they make great snowmobiles and would not not consider buying a japanese snowmobile.
My 2005 550 RMK has only 500 miles on it and it's main spring went sproing my last trip. The starter rope broke last year. Not an auspicious beginning. The 33o Indy I had before that needed constant maintenance. On the other hind my old Yamaha Bravo had to be put down because it would never stop running.
Only 500 miles in 5 years?
Up here in Canada we put 5000 miles on it in 2 years.
Starter ropes will break if you pull them often enough when machines don't start because of lack of maintenance.......you also need to make sure the kill switch is not on when pulling the rope.
overpriced? a vegas 8 ball sells for less than a big twin HD. you get a 100 inch motor that can get out of its own way. way better bike than the HD i owned before it. standard are a oil cooler, brakes that stop and wheels that look nice enough to keep on the bike.


text:
Q: Using EL with parameters We're looking to externalize our JSP's, which currently contain things like this:
<c:when test="${productObject.was}">Was ${price} - now ${salePrice}
</c:when>

We already have a Java function (lm.getString) that we might be able to use for this purpose - it accepts the English string (including parameter-tags), a hashmap of replacement variables and a language, e.g.
wasPriceString = "Was <price> - now <salePrice>";
lang = "ESP";
HashMap hm = new HashMap();
hm.put("salePrice", price);
hm.put("price", regPrice);
wasPriceString = lm.getString(wasPriceString, hm, lang);

and returns the translated string, with parameters inserted, e.g. "Was $17.99 - now $11.50" (English) or "era $17.99 - ahora $11.50" (Spanish).
We use this in our Java code, but now I'm looking to change the JSP's also. My question is, can this be done easily, in the JSP itself (passing parameters)? If not, what's the best alternative? I'd rather not simply translate the output text, since that's just hacky, and leads to this sort of evil:
<c:when test="${productObject.was}"><fmt:message key="textWas_ui"/> ${price} - <fmt:message key="textNow_lc"/> ${salePrice}
</c:when>

Am I missing something obvious?

A: Yes, you're missing the fact that <fmt:message> accepts parameters, and uses the standard MessageFormat class behind the scenes. So you just need
<fmt:message key="wasVsNow">
    <fmt:param value="${price}"/>
    <fmt:param value="${salePrice}"/>
</fmt:message>

in your JSP, and, in your properties files containing the internationalized messages:
wasVsNow=Was {0} - now {1}


text:
Season ou Seasons peuvent désigner :

 Seasons est une chanson, sortie en single, d'Ayumi Hamasaki.
 Seasons est une chaîne de télévision de Canalsat.
 Seasons est un jeu de société créé en 2012 par Régis Bonnessée et illustré par Naïade.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
HX Update Q1 2017
On April 5, 2017 By Corporal FriskIn Finland
As usual, there is a number of recent events concerning the fighters involved in the HX-program as well as the program itself.
The Rafale is currently having its F3R standard being evaluated, which will be fully certified during 2018, and last week Dassault got the order for the follow-on F4 standard. The main focus of the F4 will likely be on upgrades to the software, including the SPECTRA EW-suite, as well as a new short/medium-range air-to-air missiles (or possibly new versions of the current MICA). The F4 is slated to fly by 2023.
Saab got an order for an upgraded version of their RBS15 anti-ship missile, the two versions ordered being a ship-mounted RBS15 Mk3+ and an air-launched RBS 15F-ER (including integration onto the JAS 39E Gripen). The weapon is developed in cooperation with Diehl, and according to Saab it features "improved combat range, an upgraded target seeker, and a lower mass compared to the earlier system. It also has an ability to combat a wide spectrum of naval and land-based targets.".
The Eurofighter is continuing with both the Phase 2 and Phase 3 Enhancement programs in parallels, with the latest milestone having been a series of flight trials with the Brimstone anti-vehicle missile. The Royal Air Force is keen to keep the current schedule, as the Tornado is soon about to bow out. Currently, this seems to hold, which should mean that any capability gaps are avoided.
The Finnish Defence Forces' Logistics Command sent out a preliminary RFI for weapons and other external stores for the HX. This is to be followed by a 'proper' RFI later this summer, The idea isn't as far-fetched as it might first seem. The capabilities of the aircrafts are tied to their weaponry (and external stores), the cost of which also makes up a significant part of the whole project. For a fair comparison of how the fighters will perform in Finnish service, the evaluation need to be performed only with the weapons which are likely to be acquired by the Finnish Air Force. E.g. the Eurofighter feature both the ASRAAM and the IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles, but no user has adopted both. In other words, the final cost and capability is highly dependent on which weapon is used in the evaluation. The RFI is also set to investigate the integration cost in the cases where an aircraft doesn't yet have a suitable weapon integrated.
The Finnish Air Force Command (ILMAVE) has confirmed that the possibility of the HX getting an anti-ship capability is being looked into. This is in line with the recent Finnish defence white paper.
The air show-season, also known as 'summer' amongst non-avgeeks, is fast approaching. BAE and Saab have confirmed the presence of the Eurofighter and JAS 39C Gripen respectively flying on both Kaivari and Seinäjoki Air Shows, with Boeing/USN having confirmed that the Super Hornet will come to Kaivari. So far Rafale and F-35 is missing from both, though Lockheed-Martin has promised to show up with some kind of a stand.
#BringTheNoise2017
Air showDassault RafaleEurofighter TyphoonF/A-18E/F Super HornetHXJAS-39 GripenRBS15
Flotilla 2020 – A Strategic Acquistion
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text:
Swallowable Camera Takes Pictures Through a Pill
Scientists create a camera they can send down into someone gastrointestinal tract without having to put the patient under anesthesia.
By Jon M. Chang
Nature Medicine
You can get an X-ray to see your bones, an MRI to see your brain, and a CT scan to see virtually everything else. But getting a glimpse of the gastrointestinal tract (the esophagus, stomach, and intestines) is a little more invasive. Endoscopes have been able to provide doctors with a picture of their patients' insides, but they have their limitations: For instance, the person performing the endoscopy needs extensive training on guiding the camera down the patient's throat. It's also a time-intensive procedure that requires the patient to be sedated.
A group of doctors and engineers working at both Ninepoint Medical and Massachusetts General Hospital developed a new endoscope that gets around these hurdles by thinking small. As reported in a recent study in Nature Medicine, they miniaturized the endoscope to fit the imaging equipment into a clear capsule patients can swallow. One end of the capsule is attached by a 1-mm-wide cable tethered to a console near the patient. When it reaches the stomach, the doctor can reel it back in and take snapshots of the GI tract on its return trip.
Michalina Gora, lead author of the study and a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that one of her biggest concerns was how patients coped with a long string dangling in their throat. "Sometimes, the procedure triggered a gag reflex in the patient," she says. "This can be taken care of just by breathing steadily, in and out. It opens up the GI tract's sphincters and allows the endoscope to pass through." Overall, patients prefer the swallowable endoscope to the standard version because the scan takes less time (about 5 minutes) and doesn't require sedation.
Instead of a standard camera to take pictures, the endoscope uses a laser to scan its surroundings. Then its imaging equipment tracks the reflectance of the laser beam as it scans not only the surface of the GI tract, but also cell layers beneath it, producing 3D imagery. "It's kind of like ultrasound imaging," says Brett Bouma, a co-author of the study and a professor at Harvard Medical School. "You measure the time it takes for the laser to bounce back, and determine the distance." Bouma and his colleagues have been able to use their endoscope to identify people with Barrett's esophagus, a disorder where the lining of the esophagus changes shape because of stomach acid seeping through.
In addition to packing a camera into a capsule, the team also needed to find a way to handle the 100 gigabytes of data their endoscope generates. As new data is collected, old data is simultaneously piped through a hard-drive array and converted into a viewable image. Bouma says that the endoscope's CPU can generate a real-time display at 20 frames per second, which he describes as "pretty adequate for comfortable viewing."
Eric Seibel, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington, who is not associated with this project, says the new imaging technology is promising but might encounter some stumbling blocks if it were brought into the clinic. The new endoscope's pictures can be difficult to interpret because they aren't the type of pictures doctors are accustomed to; instead, they look more like samples under a microscope. "Clinicians and pathologists have to look at the body in a different way than they're used to," he says.
Despite this stumbling block, he has high hopes for the potential of pill-size endoscopes. "Sedation accounts for one-third of the procedure's cost," he says. Because the new procedure is cheaper, it can be incorporated into routine physical exams. "You can look for diseases in the very early stages before any symptoms come up."
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text:
The Testament
An essay on Religion from Salvo #34 in Feature by Regis Nicoll
Why God Most Certainly Does Exist
Admitting, ever so modestly, that he can't disprove the existence of God, atheist popularizer Richard Dawkins explains why God almost certainly does not exist. His argument, presented in chapter 4 of The God Delusion (2008), is intended to expose the fallacy of intelligent design. It goes something like this:
• The more complex a thing is, the more improbable it is (absent a designer).
• God must be more complex than anything he created.
• Therefore, God is more improbable than anything in the universe.
The argument (and entire chapter) can be reduced to the "zinger" fashionable among budding atheists testing their forensic chops: "Who created God?" Fancied a debate-winning retort by Dawkins and his acolytes, the go-to comeback kicks off a line of reasoning that sends the discussion headlong down a black hole of infinite regression. For if "God" demands an explanation, so does any ultimate cause (material, immaterial, intelligent, or otherwise).
In cheekier fashion, Dawkins has said he disbelieves all sorts of things that cannot be disproved: the tooth fairy, Easter bunny, Flying Spaghetti Monster (his own rhetorical creation), and other childish myths and imaginary figures; God is just one more thing he adds to the list.
On another occasion, when asked what defense he would summon if, after dying, he came face-to-face with God, Dawkins replied, "Not enough evidence, God. Not enough evidence."1
Riddled with Errors
These arguments, which play well to folks inclined to disbelief, share some fundamental errors.
First is the error of category. Unlike God, the tooth fairy, Easter bunny, and Flying Spaghetti Monster are not necessary beings. That is to say, the universe, life, and the fulfillment of man's transcendent yearnings are not contingent upon their existence. Simple and great thinkers alike have been entertained by the exploits of Odysseus and Peter Pan, but they have been transformed by the story of God.
Next is question-begging. By insisting that anything presumed to exist, including a necessary cause, demands an explanation, the argument presupposes naturalism, the very premise under question.
Then there's confirmation bias. By criticizing theism for its lack of empirical evidence, while ignoring the unproven and/or unprovable devices of naturalism (for starters, the multiverse, cosmic inflation, and macro-evolution), which collectively defy Occam's razor and which individually, at least in some cases, defy known physical processes, the argument betrays a blinkered consideration of the facts.
And that brings up the fourth error. Contrary to the claims of Dawkins and his ilk, there is evidence, sufficient evidence, for the existence of God—preeminently, in the Person of Jesus Christ.
In four separate historical records, Jesus is described as a first-century Jew who traveled throughout Palestine preaching, teaching, and healing; who was charged with blasphemy and executed on the order of Pontius Pilate; and who lay in a tomb for three days before rising from the dead.
Of the sayings attributed to him, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9) and "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30) are arguably the most bracing and immodest. So much so that, to riff off of C. S. Lewis, the only reasonable way to regard the man who said them (and such similar things as that he had power to forgive sins) would be as a quack, as a madman, or as God himself. Yet even among non-Christians, the first two options are not seriously entertained, given the high moral character of Jesus' life and teachings.2
Thus, if true, these four records—the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are evidence for the one, true God; if false, they are mere stories, and Jesus and his Father warrant no more deference than is due to Poseidon and his father Chronos. Everything hinges, therefore, on determining the veracity or falsity of the Gospels. To do that, we need to consider the "three Ws" of investigative inquiry: when, where, and by whom they were written.
The Criteria
With respect to the first two Ws, when and where, proximity is key. Accounts of events that are made in a time and/or place far removed from the time and place in which the events themselves occurred have low reliability. That's because the "once upon a time, in a land far away" feature makes such accounts unavailable for critique by contemporaries to the events they depict.
With respect to the third W, who, corroboration is key. Accounts of events whose authenticity depends upon a sole author (such as the Qur'an and the Book of Mormon) are suspect, as are those whose author (or authors) materially benefits from promulgating them (such as Muhammad, whose Qur'an-inspired campaigns gained him lands, subjects, and political capital).
By contrast, accounts written in spatial and temporal proximity to the events described, and corroborated by multiple eyewitnesses with multiple points of view, have a high measure of historical reliability.
How do the four Gospels stack up against these criteria?
How They Stack Up
It is generally agreed by competent scholarship that the three synoptic Gospels, those of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, were written in Palestine between a.d. 50 and 70—that is, in the very region where Jesus lived and worked, and within the lifetimes of people who had first-hand memories
Indeed, when the Apostle Paul recounted Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection in an a.d. 56 letter, he reminded his readers of the hundreds of surviving eyewitnesses to those events (1 Corinthians 15:4-8). And—what is unparalleled in any other literary work—dozens of predictions concerning those events of Jesus' life had been recorded three centuries earlier in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament. In short, Paul's readers had access to living witnesses who could challenge the gospel record, including by exposing attempts to manipulate it to match the prophecies.
Moreover, the Gospel writers themselves were close to those who knew Jesus, if not to the Lord himself. Of the synoptic authors, Matthew was a personal associate of Jesus; Mark was the ministry partner and spiritual son of Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples; and Luke, a ministry companion of Paul, specifically states that he sourced his material from "those who were first eyewitnesses" (Luke 1:2). The non-synoptic author, John, who recorded his Gospel account in about a.d. 90, was also a personal disciple of Jesus.
Each of these authors wrote from a unique perspective and for a specific audience: Matthew for Jews, Mark for Romans, Luke for Greeks, and John for Christians. Thus, there are differences between the four narratives with respect to voice, emphasis, length, chronology, material included, events described, and details reported. However, in no case do such differences affect any doctrine of faith. To the contrary—not only do these variations contraindicate collusion, but the unique viewpoints and emphases of the four evangelists combine, much like a four-color printing process, to give a richer, more complete image of the work and Person of Jesus Christ than would any one record in isolation. In this sense, the evangelists' accounts, taken as a whole, are more than the sum of their parts.
In short, judging by the criteria of spatial and temporal proximity to the events recorded and multiple attestations to those events, we can say that the gospel record enjoys high historical reliability. When we also consider the fact that the number of surviving Gospel manuscripts far exceeds the number of surviving manuscripts of any other work of antiquity, it becomes apparent that there is more historical evidence for Jesus's life, death, and resurrection than there is for, say, Julius Caesar's campaign against and conquest of Gaul.
Evaluating Motive
But what about author motive? Is there any validity to the atheists' claim that Jesus' disciples hatched a "risen Savior" tale and foisted it on a benighted public for their own political and/or financial gain? In a word, no. This charge not only lacks even a scintilla of historical evidence to support it, but it also contravenes everything we know about human nature.
Far from reaping personal profit or benefit from preaching about Jesus, the disciples lived under the constant threat of torture, imprisonment, and death—strong incentives for even a brave man to recant a narrative he firmly believes. And at the time of Jesus' passion, the disciples showed themselves to be anything but brave. They all fled when Jesus was arrested, and at his trial, Peter cravenly cursed out denials at the mere suggestion that he knew him. Yet something happened later that turned the disciples from jellyfish into ironmen overnight. That same Peter who had denied even knowing Christ gave rousing testimony about him to crowds of Jews on the morning of Pentecost, and continued to do so even after a gag order was issued by the Jewish religious leaders. The other apostles were equally stalwart in their preaching.
Eventually Peter suffered martyrdom, as did Paul and all the other apostles except John. Yet critics would have us believe that these men lived parlous lives ending in martyrdom for the sake of a testimony they knew was bogus. E. P. Sanders, a longtime professor of religion at Duke University, doesn't buy it: "That Jesus' followers (and later Paul) had resurrection experiences is, in my judgment, a fact. What the reality was that gave rise to the experiences, I do not know."3 Sanders understands that while people may endure brutal mistreatment and even death for what they believe is true, they won't willingly do so for what they know is false.
Nobody knew that better than the late Charles W. Colson.
All the President's Men
In his book, Loving God (1997), Chuck Colson wrote about his involvement in the Watergate conspiracy. While he was Special Counsel to President Nixon, Colson was one of a small band of "hand-picked loyalists" who believed passionately in their leader and sacrificed careers, privacy, and family life for their cause. And in 1972 it seemed to be worth it, as they found themselves on the winning team, their leader having just been re-elected in a landslide victory.
These loyalists were influential men, enjoying the perks and prestige that come from close association with the man who holds the highest office in the land. They were powerful men who, with a word, could mobilize the military, fire high-ranking personnel, or order a private jet. Thus, when the Watergate scandal broke, they had everything to gain from closing ranks and maintaining their story, and much to lose from a failed cover-up. Yet, writes Colson, despite all that was at stake, they "could not hold a conspiracy together for more than two weeks." When faced with the personal embarrassment, public disgrace, and likely prison term that exposure of their involvement would bring, the conspirators' "natural instinct for self-preservation" took over, and, "one by one, [they] deserted their leader, walked away from their cause, [and] turned their backs on the power, prestige, and privileges."4
Christ's disciples, by contrast, were powerless men who lacked social position and political clout. They could expect much worse than public disgrace or even prison time for holding fast to the gospel message. Yet they preached it boldly, beginning in Jerusalem, where the religious leaders strove in vain to suppress or discredit it, and spreading out from there even unto Rome and beyond. Despite enduring all manner of persecution and martyrdom, the disciples grew in number from about 100 at the time of Jesus' death and resurrection, to over 5,000 in a only a few weeks' time, up to six million by a.d. 300, and today number some two billion souls.
Contrast this with the Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great; it began splintering soon after his death. The Roman Empire lasted much longer; still, within five centuries of the assassination of Julius Caesar (the "dictator in perpetuity"), his "Eternal City" was sacked, leading to the collapse of the western portion of the empire. Closer to our day, Hitler's Third Reich, which was to last a thousand years, lasted barely a dozen. And scarcely a century after the death of Karl Marx and some 70 years after the Bolshevik Revolution, the Berlin Wall fell, the rest of the Iron Curtain came down, and the Soviet Union was dismantled. Yet the movement of a Galilean carpenter has not only endured but has grown for two millennia, despite being driven underground for the first 300 years of its existence and despite suffering persecution in numerous times and places throughout its history, even to the current day.
Had Jesus been just another would-be world-changer, his following would have soon dissipated. Instead, despite the suppressive forces of the cross, the stake, the coliseum, and the gulag, the Church he established has become the world's largest and most influential institution.
The implication was not lost upon one would-be world-changer, Napoleon Bonaparte. While exiled on the island of Saint Helena, the ex-emperor of France told fellow émigré Count Montholon,
Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him. . . . I think I understand something of human nature; and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man; none else is like Him: Jesus Christ was more than a man. . . . I have inspired multitudes with such an enthusiastic devotion that they would have died for me . . . but to do this it was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, my words, my voice. . . . Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. . . . This it is which proves to me quite convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ.5
To the unblinkered critic, the combined historical witness of Scripture, the behavior of the disciples, and the phenomenon of the Church provide objective evidence of God's self-revelation in Jesus Christ, in whom, "all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9)—evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that God most certainly does exist. •
1. "Richard Dawkins: You Ask the Questions," The Independent (Dec. 4, 2006): independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/richard-dawkins-you-ask-the-questions-special-427003.html.
2. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Harper Collins,1952), 51-52.
3. Paul Copan, True for You, But Not for Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith (Bethany House Publishers, 2009), 174.
4. Charles W. Colson, Loving God (Zondervan, 1997), 67>.
5. Michael A. Shea, "Napoleon: On the Divinity of Jesus Christ at Saint Helena, 1820" (2008): godtheoriginalintent.com/PDF%20Chapters/Napoleon%20Bonaparte.pdf.
Regis Nicoll
This article originally appeared in Salvo, Issue #34, fall 2015 Copyright © 2019 Salvo | www.salvomag.com https://salvomag.com/article/salvo34/the-testament
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